Tag: Andaeros x 4

Helion Gloamingdawn had been a good man. Even tempered, strong, and steady. Good with people and animals. Quiet in all aspects; mind, soul, and body. His love had been this deep, unfathomable wellspring that was always tangible. There had never been any question of it, even if some other woman did occasionally catch his eye.

Ysirien Van’aen, on the other hand, was his opposite. After Helion’s death, opposite was what she needed. Gone were Helion’s broad shoulders, replaced by Ysirien’s wiry, lithe frame. Instead of gold, cream, and brilliant azure she indulged herself in decadent chocolate, caramel, and fel tinged green. Where Helion had been constant, Ysirien was mercurial. Helion was her equal, Ysirien her subordinate. But,...

Khaeris lay in a bed that wasn't her own. The sheets were rich. The rug she put her feet down on each morning was thick and soft. The curtains over the window were finely made. The window itself looked over the Court of the Sun, not the Bazaar.

Pollux hadn't come home that week. Other Pollux, not her Pollux.

Gone on a business trip. Zandalar? Had he said that? He supplied the military, he'd said, but was that what this trip was?  Maybe somewhere else. She realized should probably be ashamed she hadn't listened closely, but she wasn't ashamed. Despondency came and went in waves.

Though alone every evening, Khaeris could not be disappointed in this. He was too strange. It was both too familiar and too jarring to see his shape. His...

Highmountain was beautiful, but the scenic mountains had not soothed Khaeris like they had previously. Her mind was so caught up on itself, even the slightly musty smell of straw from the nearby village stables couldn’t catch her attention; the breeze had tousled her hair, but it didn’t lighten her heart. The sounds of the birds gossiping in the dawn did not pull her in to their song.

It had been a night like so many others, spent laying next to Andaeros in the small tent he kept in the mercenary camp. Small touches, quiet voices, and soft kisses before sleep claimed her lover. But something had nagged at her and kept her from resting. There was a stone made of her unease sitting leaden in her stomach. Even her movements felt heavy...

The evening was quiet, and Khaeris couldn’t remember ever being this content. Twilight had passed, and her wagon was lit by soft magelights turned to a sleepy glow. Andaeros was at the fold-out table behind her. Sunny was curled up next to the man, snoring in that tiny panda way of his. Dinner was finished and the scene was something out of a dream. Even washing up was nice, and Khaeris took a conscious moment to enjoy the warmth of the soapy water over her skin.

“I love you.” Andaeros’s voice was warm with simple statement, unburdened and unconcerned. Familiar. As if the words came easily and often to him.

They had never come to Khaeris’s ears, though, and she stiffened slightly as a shock ran up her spine. The moment...